A campaign mailing that questions candidate Amir Omar’s financial history has generated controversy in the Richardson mayor’s race.

The mailing, sent out by a local political action committee, claims that in 2009, Omar, a City Council member, was “over $10,000 in arrears on his child support payments,” and that his council pay was garnished for child support in 2010. The mailing also states that Omar declared bankruptcy in 2000 “rather than repay over $50,000 in student loans.”

Omar acknowledges filing for bankruptcy 13 years ago, but not to avoid paying student loans. He also denies the other points listed in the mailing, which was produced by the Richardson Coalition, a group that’s endorsed Omar’s opponent, Laura Maczka. Omar says the mailing “stretches the truth” by selectively highlighting certain pages in court documents.

“I’ve never once missed a child support payment,” Omar said in an interview. “I’ve never once tried to get out of student loans. … I have the attorney general’s printouts of every single check being paid on time, every time. I have an affidavit from my ex-wife stating that their allegations are 100 percent untrue.”

Omar added: “We’ve been proud of having a certain decency in our political discourse and for it to reach this level of a smear is absolutely just unconscionable.”

Omar’s campaign provided The Dallas Morning News with certified records of child support payments, showing that he is current, as well as a copy of his ex-wife’s signed affidavit, which states that accusations about Omar “being late on his child support are absolutely false.”

Annie Omar, reached via telephone, said: “I was disappointed to have my family dragged into this race. It has nothing to do with my family. I felt it was necessary to clear the controversy and end it.”

Maczka, a City Council member, said her campaign didn’t produce the Richardson Coalition’s mailing. She said she asked coalition members to post court documents on the group’s website that support their claims. (One of those documents listed the full name of Omar’s minor child, which Omar called “disgusting.”)

In a statement, the Richardson Coalition said that details in the voter’s guide came from public records.

“We stand behind each and every fact contained in our piece,” the group said.

The coalition cited this passage from a 2010 court order: “The court finds and confirms that [Omar] is in arrears on child support in the amount of $10,478.00 as of December 21, 2009,” which includes “unpaid child support, unpaid interest, and any balance owed on previously confirmed arrearages.”

Omar said his divorce agreement included a financial settlement that covered items other than child support. He said he made regular payments and paid off the settlement last year.

Michael D. Wysocki, a Dallas-based family law attorney with McCurley Orsingerwho isn’t involved in the Omar divorce case, was asked by The News to review the court documents. Wysocki says that regardless of how the funds were used, the court still considers the money “child support arrearage.”

“There was a court order that things be paid that aren’t being paid,” Wysocki said. “It appears the situation is that there were no payments being made toward’’ the money owed.

Omar said the divorce agreement called for child support payments to be deducted from his paychecks. Calling it garnishment is a “misrepresentation” of what happened, Omar said.

“They’ve never drafted out of that account because I was behind on support,” he said.

Documents released by the city of Richardson show that the city has withheld portions of Omar’s council paychecks since 2009 for child support.

Omar said he continues to make student loan payments. Typically, student loans aren’t able to be discharged during bankruptcy.

In an interview, Maczka expressed neither approval nor disapproval of the mailing’s content. She said it’s a matter between Omar and the Richardson Coalition.

“When you run for office, you have to expect some tough questions,” Maczka said. “I understand that parts of my life that other people don’t have to have examined will be examined.”

Omar said his campaign became aware that the mailing was in the works and his lawyer sent letters last week to both Maczka and the coalition to inform them that the information was inaccurate.

“I’m hoping that some sense of decency will prevail here,” Omar said, “and that they will stop spreading things that aren’t accurate.”